An alleged Iranian plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington has recently been revealed. The allegations are that two men linked to an elite Iranian military unit tried to hire a Mexican drug cartel to kill the Ambassador by bombing his favourite restaurant. However improbable this may seem, even to the Saudis themselves, the government in Riyadh is treating this US-led investigation as a significant breakthrough in its long-standing efforts to deepen Iran’s isolation. The Saudi foreign minister stated that they would “strongly respond” to an act that “reflects the policies of Iran”. Saudi Arabia, the Sunni powerhouse in the Middle East. has often accused Shia Iran of stirring trouble across the region with its support for Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group and the Palestinian Hamas and its alliance with Syria.

Notice how in this report Iran is “stirring trouble across the region.” This is precisely the language used in Isaiah 13 when God says in verse 17 that he will “stir up the Medes”. The Medes is another ancient name for modern Iranians. Bible students have for many years expected the line up of nations opposing each other as described in the prophecy of Ezekiel chapter 38. As was described in our recent article ‘Russia, Turkey and the Return of Christ’. An alliance of nations will come down to attack Israel, triggering the Return of Christ. These nations will comprise of Russia, Libya, Turkey and Iran. Opposing them, though only weakly, will be America, Britain and Saudi Arabia (Ezekiel uses the ancient names for the area they inhabit, so Sheba and Dedan are modern Saudi Arabia and Persia is Iran).This Russian alliance is anti Israel and invades it. The American / Saudi alliance is pro Israel but is unable (or unwilling) to defend it. All the pieces are coming together...

An amazing aspect of this prophecy is that in the days when Ezekiel gave it, Sheba and Dedan, as Saudi Arabia was known in Ezekiel’s day, were tribes of merchants, spice traders inhabiting a vast sandy desert wilderness.

It would have seemed then of little moment that Sheba and Dedan should offer a challenge to Gog as they were so insignificant. However, Saudi Arabia is now very rich and very powerful. According to the US energy information Administration Saudi Arabia has approximately one-fifth of the world's proven oil reserves, and is the largest oil producer and exporter of total petroleum liquids in the world.

How could Ezekiel know that from these two insignificant tribes Saudi Arabia would emerge as such a powerful nation. Today, we would expect such a Nation, with a proven hatred towards Iran (Persia) to oppose the invasion of Gog’s armies, but in Ezekiel’s day this would seem to be a most unlikely and ineffectual challenge.

How could Ezekiel know? He couldn’t, but God did because He shapes the destinies of the nations according to His will.

Here is a quote from the Testimony Magazine of Jan 2011

‘The quarter-of-a-million diplomatic cables recently published confirm that behind the scenes there is a united front of the US, Israel and many Arab states against Iran’s nuclear ambitions. They also reveal discord and different assessments within diplomatic ranks. While the Obama Administration is still pursuing a policy of diplomacy and sanctions towards Iran, it seems that the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Bahrain have little faith in this course, and have been urging the Americans for some time to launch a military strike against the Iranian nuclear installations. Saudi King Abdullah has “painted a nuclear Iran as an existential threat and invoked the wellbeing of his grandchildren . . . he was worrying that Iran was surrounding Israel and threatening its existence.” ‘

We see again that God’s Word is always accurate and can be trusted, and so it is important for all of us to read and heed His promises and warnings.

Ezekiel 38

1 ¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:

6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.

7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.

10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:

11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?

14 ¶ Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:

16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?